Episode 11: Introduction to health and safety

The health and safety of people at your school is one of the big responsibilities shared by tumuaki and school boards. As the principal, you have the most significant health and safety role in your school, and understanding your responsibilities should be a priority when you start in your new role. This episode covers your legal obligations for health and safety, what should be covered in a school’s health and safety policy, required planning and documentation for trips outside the classroom, the dangers of teachers and parents not understanding their role on a school trip, problems with blanket consent forms, and handling violent incidents in the school.

My guests this week are:

• Patrick Walsh, qualified lawyer and tumuaki of Sacred Heart College in Auckland
• Fiona McDonald, Chief Executive of Education Outdoors New Zealand
• Murray Burton, principal of Elim Christian College in Auckland.

This podcast was produced for the Ministry of Education as part of Te Ara Tīmatanga mō ngā Tumuaki - The Beginning Pathway for Principals.

You can learn more about this topic by accessing Te Ara Tīmatanga mō ngā Tumuaki - The Beginning Pathway for Principals e-learning modules on the Education LMS: https://training.education.govt.nz

Show notes

Episode themes:

• The health and safety obligations of a principal, and their purpose
• Thresholds for prosecution, and who can be prosecuted
• Getting your head around what you need to know about health and safety
• Planning and documentation required before a class/school trip
• The problem of teachers or parents accompanying ākonga on a trip thinking their responsibilities can be delegated to eg. lifeguard at the pool
• The need for familiarity with MOE’s EOTC guidelines, the need for an EOTC safety management plan, and the toolkit of forms you use to plan and deliver a trip (links below)
• The dangers of using umbrella consent forms
• Your duty of care to your tamariki, their whānau and the school community
• Taking a proactive approach to potential violent incidents in the school

Additional information

EOTC guidelines https://eotc.tki.org.nz/EOTC-home/EOTC-Guidelines

EOTC safety management plan template and toolkit form templates https://eonz.org.nz/eotc-management/eotc-smp-template-and-tool-kit-forms/

Questions

2:40 [to Patrick] What are the legal obligations of a tumuaki when it comes to health and safety?

4:31 [to Patrick] If something goes wrong, who can be prosecuted?

5:56 [to Patrick] There’s a level of personal responsibility for health and safety though?

6:38 [to Patrick] How can a new tumuaki get their head around all they need to know about health and safety legislation and their responsibilities? 

7:33 [to Patrick and Murray] What should be covered by a school's health and safety policy?

9:52 [to Murray and Patrick] What kind of planning should you do before you head off the school grounds?

12:30 [to Patrick] What about parent help?

16:01 [to Patrick and Murray] If a school takes a student on a class trip without parental consent, what can the consequences be for the tumuaki and for the school? 

17:46 [to Patrick and Murray] What kinds of plans should schools have in place for violent incidents and dealing with them?

20:55 [to Patrick] What about incidents between students from your own school?